Tag: Museum of London

Over the last 12 days I have been exploring Scotland by train (and ferry and occasionally bus and even taxi!) - it was brilliant adventure. When I was in Glasgow I went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It was here that I was able to see this wonderful painting of Anna Pavlova in The… Continue reading In search of Pavlova…

Anna Pavlova, b. 1881 - d. 1931 was most famous for her performance of the divertissement The Swan or The Dying Swan. The elaborate feathered tutu she wore has always fascinated me - How was it made? Does it survive? Several years ago I began working as a volunteer at the Museum of London which houses, amongst its vast collection,… Continue reading A swan song …

In less then two weeks Alexei Ratmansky's production of The Sleeping Beauty for American Ballet Theatre will open at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Costa Mesa, California. Ratmansky's version of the Imperial Russian classic is based on the 1921 production staged by the Serge Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. Diaghilev created many links to the original… Continue reading A New Carabosse

I was recently asked to research working-class men’s shirts for a company that is interested in re-making them for sale. After researching shirts from 1840 to 1940 the company selected 1940s utility shirts as the ones I was to create a detailed report on. I knew about utility clothing but had never researched it and… Continue reading Shirt Tails

Here are some lovely photographs of one of the Mazurka costumes from Act 5 of the 1921 production of the Sleeping Princess, designed by Bakst. There were originally 12 Mazurka Ladies in this scene. These costume are now all over the world including the Museum of London, National Gallery of Australia, Wadsworth Atheneum and Dansmuseet Stockholm.

In February last year I was asked by designer Richard Hudson and choreographer Alexei Ratmansky to research the Ballets Russes' 1921 production of the Sleeping Princess (Sleeping Beauty) for a new reinterpretation of the ballet. The production was originally designed by Leon Bakst and no expense was spared. The new ballet is a joint venture between American Ballet… Continue reading Waking the Sleeping Princess